Introduction to the Accountability Post 2021 Week 49
I rediscovered an essential truth this week. Something I can’t believe I’d forgotten. Something so basic that I hesitate to reveal it to you out of fear you’ll think less of me. Then I remembered, hey, this is me we’re talking about. Not sure it’s possible to make people think less of me! It’s kinda liberating, to be honest. At the same time, I might as well be honest! Before we get into that, though, let’s talk about this week’s numbers.
Accountability Post 2021 Week 49 By the Numbers
Slow but stead progress! Another week or so, and I’ll be ready to fix the two broken arcs!
Last week, I had finished the line edits for the first 17 chapters. This week, I made it to chapter 66. There are 110 total chapters. That means in one more week, I should be done with the line edits!
I’ll say this for Reedsy’s developmental editor: I paid for a developmental edit. He threw in the line edits for no additional cost. It seemed like he sees the world like I do: It’s easier for me to actually do the edits than not. Otherwise my internal grammar engine gets really annoyed!
All joking aside, the line edits were very helpful. They made text stronger. Given that this is hard science fiction/political thriller, the edits even helped me think through the implications of capitalizing some words that aren’t capitalized in our world. The end result is a more robust feeling to the world.
If I can power through one more week of line edits, I’ll be ready to fix the arcs for Cardinal Clifton Tadlock and Doctor Quaid Adair. I’m excited about that! Those characters will further deepen the world and, more importantly at this stage, add more dramatic punch. The developmental editor pointed out the lack of resolution in those arcs. Honestly, I think that’s going to make a huge difference in the effectiveness of the published version.
A Basic Truth of Editing
What was the obvious thing I forgot? Amazingly, I forgot that line edits take time. Especially in a manuscript that’s over 500 pages! For some reason, I had in my mind that I could knock out those edits in a week. It’s going to be three weeks, at least! That’s a lot of time. And it’s mostly because I’m moving the edits from Word to Scrivener.
I have to ask myself if it’s worth it. I think the answer is yes, and I think it comes down to revisions. I don’t want to write the first draft or two in Scrivener, then finish it in Word. I’d still have to reference my reference material on the world in Scrivener. By now, after writing in Scrivener solid for about three years, using it has become muscle memory. Just having to edit in Word is painful for me.
But here’s the thing: If I just reviewed the edits in Word, I could be done in a week. Maybe even less. So in effect, I’m saying that the investment of at least two weeks is worth it to keep my creative work as unencumbered as possible. And honestly? That seems like the right choice. But I’ll keep an eye on what happens next time!
And I haven’t even sent the manuscript out for an official line edit yet!
Well, that’s why I track these key performance indicators. They’ll help me evaluate my experience writing each book. I’ll incorporate the lessons into each subsequent book!
Goals for the Week in Accountability Post 2021 Week 49
Last week, I set a goal of getting through chapter 45. Fortunately, I blew past that to get to chapter 66! But before I pat myself on the back, I had also planned to keep working on the short story lead magnet. Completely whiffed on that one!
This week, I hope to:
- Finish the line edits in book 1
- Begin fixing the two broken arcs in book 1
- Continue developing the background and story
I’m supposed to be on vacation next week, so maybe I’ll be able to pull it off!
What Do You Think?
Do you have a process for vetting titles? Do you send titles to a beta group ahead of the manuscript? I’m revising the titles for the first three books, so I’d like to hear about your experience! Please feel free to share them in the comments section!